- A U.S. District Court has ruled against MetaBirkins NFT creator Mason Rothschild ordering the artists to permanently halt all MetaBirkins NFT sales
- The court also ordered the artist to airdrop the court order to all of the collection’s collectors
- Rothschild was taken to court by French luxury brand Hermès for creating an NFT collection impersonating the brand’s furry handbags
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has ruled against MetaBirkins NFT creator Mason Rothschild ordering the artist to halt all MetaBirkins NFT sales. The court also directed the artist to airdrop the court order to all of the collection’s collectors, adding that the artist should permanently stop any activities meant to attract more buyers. Rothschild was taken to court by French luxury brand Hermès for creating an NFT collection featuring the brand’s furry handbags.
NFT Artist was Abusing Hermès Prestige
According to Judge Jed Rakoff, the artist was only out to defraud collectors by infringing the brand’s trademarks. The luxury brand was awarded $133,000 in damages, although Rothschild is estimated to have pocketed over $1 million from the collection.
The ruling brings to an end a legal dispute that started in January this year. In February, the luxury brand won a trademark lawsuit against the NFT creator with the brand arguing that Rothschild was abusing its “reputation and prestige.”
In March, Hermès went back to court noting that Rothschild was still selling MetaBirkin’s NFT despite the court ruling not to do so.
MetaBirkins NFTs Still Have an Artistic Touch
The judge however declined to honor Hermès’ request to have Rothschild relinquish the project’s control to Hermès. According to Rakoff, the collectibles still have an artistic aspect. The artist will however be required to hand over domain names associated with the brand.
Hermès’ win comes two months after Yuga Labs won a court case against Ryder Ripps, an NFT artist who had also infringed on the Bored Ape trademark in the name of artistic criticism.
Although Rothschild is yet to honor the court’s decision, it’s yet to be seen whether the brand will launch its own collection.
